Tag: Pricing Denver pet photography

How much is an 8×10? I get this question a lot when people are first inquiring about a pet photography session. The answer is do you even want an 8 x 10? Probably not. Here’s why:

What to think about when cropping an image.

First, a lot of cameras today are formatted for 8 x 12 not 8 x 10. In order to print an 8 x 10 photo you’d have to crop a significant portion of the image. You’d be missing a large portion of the photo. Sometimes that won’t matter much but most of the time cutting that much of the photo off makes a dramatic difference in how it looks.

In the images below you can see the first photo is the original format. This is the way I see it when I’m taking the photo. There is visual space to give the subjects room.

8 x 12 camera format

You can see here how much space you are really cropping off the photo here.

how much are you cropping that photo?

The result changes the feeling of the photo. Instead of the feeling of freedom, fun, and energy, the subjects are cramped. There’s no room to move.

cropping too much changes the feeling of the photo

Sometimes the cropped image won’t be so dramatic. Like with these images of Poppy the Chihuahua below.

printing an 8 x 12 or 8 x 10printing 8 x 10 or 8 x 12

Both images are lovely and you don’t get a dramatic change in feeling.

What to think about when you display your prints.

Here’s another reason why you shouldn’t worry about how much an 8 x 10 is. You should think about the space you’d like to display your photos. Depending on the space an 8 x 10 print might look completely ridiculous. You can see in the photos below, the print in the dinning room is 30 x 40. It looks fantastic and fits the space.

printing for the space

Here an 8 x 10 looks insignificant and inappropriate for the same space.

printing photos for your living space

But how else can I compare prices?

I realize that most people are asking this question because they want to compare prices between myself and a competitor but just asking the price of an 8 x 10 can be deceiving. First, my 8 x 10 prints might be a different quality than another photographer’s 8 x 10. They might charge less money but maybe you’re getting a flimsy print that looks the same as the print you got from a local drugstore. The prints I carry are beautiful, thick, luxurious paper. I know you can’t get them at the local drugstore. So a difference in price might be because of a significant difference in quality. Or perhaps it’s service, does the other photographer fully edit the photos? Perhaps not.

Second, how much is the session fee for a pet photography session in Denver and what does it include? Some photographers include the digitals in the session fee and it makes the overall price sound cheaper. However, you still have the burden and cost of printing those photos so the price they quote isn’t going to be your finished price.

Not to mention some people end up never printing their photos, it stays on their to do list until they lose the digitals due to technology upgrades, viruses, or even theft of a computer. Then of course it’s too late and you spent all that money for nothing.

Some people do print the photos but by the time you add on the printing you might have spent more money than if you had hired a photographer that does the printing for you.

So a great question to ask is how much does your average customer spend? That can give you an idea of what people typically spend with that photographer.

Another way to ask about prices is to tell the photographer what you are interested in. I’m interested in wall art for my dinning room, how much do you anticipate I’ll spend? Or I’m interested in a top of the line album with about 30 to 45 photos, how much would that cost?

Don’t be afraid to tell them what your budget is. If you have $500 for your budget tell them. They can show you what the best quality print will be or show you how you can get the most with that budget.

Maybe you aren’t quite sure what you want yet. Take the time to set up a pre-consult with your photographer to see the samples and go over the pricing. Most of the time photographers will do this as a complimentary service. The quality of printed products can change significantly between photographers and so can the service so you would be doing yourself a favor in the long run by taking the time before you hire a pet photographer to meet with them.

There is more than one way to hang a photo! An 8 x 10 probably isn’t the best one.

XO,

Deanna

If you’re interested in a complimentary pre-consult to see the products I carry or you are interested in our pet photography inquiry guide that has all the info you need for a dog photography session with StinkDog Photos contact us here.